


Mercy

by WarlordFelwinter



Series: Destiny / OC-centric [11]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Towerfall - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 01:44:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13225557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarlordFelwinter/pseuds/WarlordFelwinter
Summary: Kipyks finds a strangely helpless Guardian in the woods





	Mercy

She was alone when it happened. 

It wasn’t a busy area, so they had left Kipyks to guard the supplies by herself, until they could be retrieved. From wolves and the like, they said. Not the wraiths. She had never personally faced one of those wretched creatures. Demons, ghouls, whatever the others called them. The herealways. She hoped never to. If she did, she knew it would be her last day. 

She sharpened her swords, listening to the trees whispering to each other outside. The wind was cold and spoke of more snow on the way. She was glad of her cloak. 

Kipyks wasn’t expecting the scream. 

It came with a snap of a branch and the thud of a body hitting the rocks. She peeked her head around the doorway and startled back. It was one of them! One of the light-wraiths. Slowly, she looked around again. The creature was lying still on the rocks. She saw no sign of its little light. Perhaps it wasn’t a wraith, just a normal human. 

Kipyks crept out slowly, swords and rifle at the ready. The human didn’t stir, but she could see their chest rising and falling with shallow, stuttering breaths. As she got close, suddenly there was a flash of light and a small shape appeared above the body. The little light. So it was a wraith, afterall. The little light looked different than those she had seen before, when she watched them from a distance. They were buoyant and fleeting, but this one was heavy. 

“Please,” it said, in Eliksni, “don’t hurt her. We mean you no harm.” 

Kipyks was startled, but slowly stowed her weapons. “I will not harm if you do not,” she said. “She is injured. Why have you not repaired her?” 

“I can’t. Not yet, maybe... never again. Something happened. Something very bad. Are you alone here? Are we in danger?” 

“No danger,” Kipyks said, puzzled. “I am alone. What bad thing has happened?”

The little light hesitated and Kipyks understood. Best not to share weaknesses with the enemy. She waved a hand, dismissive of her question. The wind gusted and snow began to fall. Kipyks thought for a moment. 

“She will freeze,” Kipyks said. 

“Yes,” the little light said. “Normally the light keeps her warm but--” It faltered, seeming to have caught itself. Interesting, Kipyks thought. The light, the power, was gone? The wraith had lost her blessing. She was not herealways anymore. Kipyks could kill her. Or… 

Kipyks picked the wraith up. 

“What are you doing?” the little light demanded. 

“Taking her inside where she will not freeze,” she said and went back inside the small barn. The walls were thin, but blocked the wind. She laid the wraith down on her nest of blankets and sat down near her. The wraiths had killed many of her kin. Her friends. It would be easy to kill her, now. She was broken. Unknowing. 

But, perhaps, if Kipyks helped her she would share the news with the others. Perhaps she would not hunt Eliksni anymore. Kipyks would show that they needn’t be enemies. 

The little light watched curiously as she inspected the human for wounds, and provided descriptions of her various injuries that Kipyks couldn’t see beneath the armor. She bound the broken arm in place against her chest using strips of one of the blankets. She took the helmet off and exposed a brown face, framed with black hair. She tested breathing and pulse and found both to be steadying. She covered the wraith in her own cloak. It was heavy and soft, built for the cold climate. It would keep her warm. 

“You’re being very… kind,” the little light said, sounding suspicious. 

“I help her and she helps us, yes?” KIpyks said. 

“Ah. Ulterior motive.” 

“To stop hunting my kind, yes. I have never hurt one of yours. You should not hurt mine. This fighting starves us both… though Eliksni more than your kind.” 

The little light was quiet for a moment. “What’s your name?” 

“Kipyks.” 

“Hello Kipyks. My name is Ra. My Hunter is Medjay.” 

“Hunter... I call you wraith. But perhaps Hunter is fitting.” 

Ra said nothing, tucking itself down near Medjay’s neck, in the cowl of her cloak.

* * *

 

It was a few hours before the Hunter awoke. The snow had fallen in force, muffling the forest. Kipyks could hear the old roof creaking under its weight. In the muted quiet, she heard when Medjay stirred. She watched from across the barn as she sat up, seeming curious about her surroundings. She could hear Ra talking to her, perhaps explaining what had happened. 

Medjay looked up, meeting Kipyks’ gaze. She stood, seeming stiff and unsteady, and picked up Kipyks’ cloak, carrying it over to her. 

“Thank you,” she said, in rough Eliksni. Kipyks nodded and reattached her cloak, pulling the hood up. “I am… Medjay,” she said. 

“Kipyks,” she replied. 

“It is… good to… meet you,” Medjay said, sounding uncertain. Her accent was terrible and her pronunciation broken, but the effort surprised Kipyks. 

“Yes, good for you,” Kipyks said. “You are broken. Not herealways anymore. It is lucky I was here, or you would not be.” 

Medjay blinked. “Yes… I am… broken,” she said and shook her head sharply. Ra said something in their language and Medjay nodded. “Thank you,” she said again. “I must go. Back to my kin.” 

Kipyks nodded. She didn’t know how long the Hunter would survive in the wilds, wounded and cursed as she was. 

“I will not forget mercy,” Medjay said, sounding confused again. “I do not… harm Eliksni if they do not before…” She let out a frustrated chuff and Ra took over. 

“She means we have never harmed an Eliksni unless they try to harm us first. We’ll tell other Guardians about this, about your kindness…” 

Kipyks nodded. “You must go. Others will be here soon. They will not show mercy.” 

Medjay nodded, her mouth upturning slightly. She put her helmet back on and walked out into the snow, disappearing quickly into the trees. She doubted she would ever see the Hunter again. She wondered what had been wrong with her. Were all of the wraiths broken? What had they done to lose their blessings? Or was it just this one? Kipyks didn’t know. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. But it felt… dark. Something very bad happened, Ra had said. The wind gusted and she shivered, pulling her cloak around her more tightly, glad the Hunter was gone. She had brought something with her into this place. Like a shadow of an oncoming storm. Or perhaps it wasn’t oncoming. Perhaps it had already broken.

**Author's Note:**

> meet Kipyks, my new Eliksni. she was just supposed to be a filler but i've grown fond of her, she might make a reappearance. she's a marauder, if anyone's wondering.


End file.
